This invention relates to a method for processing a black-and-white light-sensitive silver halide photographic material and a processing agent for the same, more specifically, it relates to processing method suitable for forming a high contrast black-and-white photographic image such as a line image and a screen image by using a light-sensitive silver halide photographic material containing a tetrazolium compound or a hydrazine compound.
In an automatic processor in which a light-sensitive photographic material is processed by developing, fixing and bleaching, a predetermined amount of a processing agent is required to be added to the processing solution in the processor, as a replenishing solution to replace losses on the light sensitive material being processed or through evaporation oxidation and deterioration of the processing solution. It is usual that such a replenishing agent is provided in a concentrated liquid state and used by diluting with water.
Among photographic processing agents, an acid or an alkali for controlling a pH or various kinds of buffers which control pH fluctuation are contained. Among additives contained in the processing agents, some of them cause a chemical reaction in the processing agent when pH fluctuates greatly to acidic or alkaline from the pH initially set as mentioned above whereby precipitates are found.
When a film containing a contrast increasing agent in order to improve particularly sharpness is to be processed, photographic characteristics such as sharpness, maximum density and fog are remarkably affected by stability of a processing solution when preparing it. In a liquid type photographic processing agent, it is stored in a concentrated liquid state so that activity of the processing agent is changed depending on the preservation conditions such as preservation temperature. When such a processing solution is used as a replenishing solution, photographic characteristics become unstable.
In such a situation, there is a demand for a processing method which gives constantly stable photographic characteristics.
Also, processing of a light-sensitive silver halide photographic material which had been subjected to image wise exposure has heretofore been carried out, in general, by using an automatic processor and applying processing including development and fixing whereby a photographic image can be obtained. In the processing using an automatic processor, it is known to replenish the activity and lost volume of the processing solutions caused by processing light sensitive materials or by evaporation or oxidation due to air. The replenishing agent to be used for such a replenishment has been sold as a concentrated solution, and used for replenishing by diluting with water before use. Such a running processing using an automatic processor has been carried out without causing any specific problem.
However, when a light-sensitive silver halide photographic material containing a tetrazolium compound or a hydrazine compound is to be developed by a developing solution containing a polyhydroxybenzene type developing agent, the present inventors have found that deterioration in finished quality, more specifically deterioration in sharpness of image occurred with the progress of the running processing, and such a phenomenon becomes more marked in a processing in which a supplementing amount is reduced in order to reduce an amount of a photographic waste liquor or in a rapid processing.
Particularly in a light-sensitive material containing a hydrazine compound, there is a problem that sand-like fog, i.e. the so-called black dot, occurred at an unexposed portion after development processing deteriorates. Also, in a light-sensitive material containing a tetrazolium compound, a problem of occurrence of pin-holes at a blackening portion arises. Also, when a light-sensitive material containing the hydrazolium compound or tetrazolium compound is processed, it sometimes causes fluctuation in sharpness of an image, and a means for overcoming these problems has not yet been found.
The present inventors have also found that, in a fixing solution, there is a problem of causing deterioration in processing quality, more specifically fixation failure and drying failure whereas they are less significant than that of a developing solution.